Mobile curvable conveyors



July 30, 1957 J. M. HILL MoBzL. cuRvABLE coNvEYoRs Filed March 8. 1955/NI/ENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O ice MOBILE CURVABLE CONVEYORSJames M. Hill, Morgantown, W. Va.

Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 492,922

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-203) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in conveyor mechanism particularly for use in continuousmining machines, and the present application is a continuation-in-partof my now abandoned application Serial No. 399,705, led December 22,1953, and application Serial No. 451,133, filed August 20, 1954.

The last-named application discloses a mobile conveyor consisting of aplurality of wheel supported articulated frame sections for supportingthe materials conveying means, which sections have a common flexibledraw bar anchored to the end sections of the conveyor to maintain properalignment of the sections when the conveyor is moved around curves infollowing a continuous mining machine.

The present invention more particularly deals with the materialsconveying means supported on said articulated frame sections, and it isamong the objects thereof to provide means for guiding the conveyorelements in their movement on the frame sections and to providepositively gripping traction means for engaging the conveying member.

It is a further object of the invention to provide simple anti-frictionsupport and guide means which prevents rearward and forward angling ofthe movable conveying means while eliminating excessive friction andbinding of the movable parts, which might interfere with the freedom ofmovement of the frame sections in traveling through a mine corridor.

It is still -another object of the invention to employ a eXible wirerope to pull either the drag flights or the carrying pans for conveyingthe material, whichever may be employed, which rope is provided withgripping elements attached to the rope at intervals for engaging animpressionable surface of a drive pulley or drum to thereby eliminatetension on the rope that would interfere with the intended function ofthe flexible draw bar in guiding and maintaining proper alignment of thearticulated frame sections.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of theaccompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, in which like referencecharacters designate like parts, and in which- Figure 1 is a verticalsection, partially in elevation, of a fragmentary portion of a conveyordrive drum embodying the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section, partially in elevation, taken along theline 2 2 of Fig. l;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a fragmentary portion ofa modified form of material conveying and drive means;

Figure 4 is a vertical section, partially in elevation, takentransversely of a conveyor frame section and pan conveying means; and

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conveyor frame sectionand drag flight employing anti-friction blocks instead of guide wheels.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the numeral 1 designatesa drive drum mounted for rotation ,g 2,800,994 Patented July 30, V1957with a drive shaft 2. Drum 1 is disposed between side frames 3 forguiding a drag flight 4 having guide wheels 5 restrained by hold downflange 6.

The drag ights 4 are provided with angle brackets 7 and 8 secured bybolts 9 for carrying a pair of guide rollers 10 and 11 that engage guidebars 12 and 13.

As shown in Fig. 2, the guide bars 12 and 13 are curved with the drumbut are straight during the length of the conveyor frame sections andprevent rearward and forward angling or binding of the drag flightsbecause of the tandem relationship of the pairs of rollers 10 and 11.Drag flights 4 are connected by threaded sleeves 14, which may beordinary pipe nipples, to a exible wire rope 15, which is interlockedwith the nipples 14 by wedge pins 16, as shown in Fig. l. The drum 1 isprovided with an impressionable surface material 17, such as rubber,mounted on a strip 1S and fastened by bolts 19 to the drum 1. Theimpressionable surface material 17 affords a rrn grip with the threadsof the sleeves 14, as shown in Fig. 2.

In addition to the drag flight connectors 14, other gripping means suchas the nipple 20, Fig. 2, or the clamping plates 21, Fig. 2, may besecured to the wire rope either by a wedge 21 and bolt 22, or by theclamping plates being fastened by the bolts 23 to crimp the flexibleWire 15. One of the clamping plates, designated by the numeral 24, isprovided with serrations on its under surface to grippingly engage theimpressionable surface material 17 of the drum in the same manner as dothe threaded nipples 14 and 20. The drag flights 4 are spaced on thewire rope 15 throughout the length of the endless conveying rope to dragcoal from the mining machine through the channel-shape troughconstituted by a plurality of frame sections, which are of substantiallythe shape of the drum shown in Fig. 2, except that instead of the shaft2 that supports the drum, the frame sections are supported on groundwheels, such as is shown in my co-pending application.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, coal carrying pans 25 maybe employed in place of the drag flights 4, ysuch pans being providedwith guide rollers 26 and center guide rollers 27 and 28 that aremovable between angle bars 29 and 30. The drum face is provided with theimpressionable rubber surfacing material 17 mounted in the same manneras that described in connection with Fig. l of the drawing. The conveyorpans 25 are provided with vertical plates 31 bolted to the under surfaceof the pans by bolts 32. The vertical plates 31 are fastened to threadednipples 14 by welding in the same manner as the drag ights 4 of Fig. 2,and are connected to the wire rope 15 by wedges 16 in the same manner asin Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4 is shown a fragmentary portion of a frame section designatedby the numeral 33, having transverse bracing bars 34 and guide bar 35,the latter supporting guide wheels 36 that are mounted on stud shafts 37welded to the underside of the pan, as shown at 38. The pans are furtherprovided with vertical stud shafts 39 having guide wheels 40 journalledthereon for engaging angle bars 41. The conveyor pans, designated by thenumeral 42, are provided with lugs 43 that engage the lengths of anendless conveyor chain 44. The cross members of the frame sections 34are further provided with vertical plates 45 extending over a flexibledrawbar 46 that maintains alignment of adjacent frame sectionsthroughout the length of the conveyor. All this is fully described in myco-pending application, `serially numbered 451,133, referred to above.

In Fig. 5 is shown a conveyor frame section 47 supported on groundwheels, not shown, which frame section is of channel shape and crosssection through which the mined coal is moved by drag flights 48connected to an endless conveyor chain 49. The frame section is providedwith hold down bars 50 and angle bars 51 for engaging anti-frictionblocks 52 and 53 respectively. These anti-friction blocks may be made ofbronzeor other materials softerthan steel to lend anti-friction qualityfor easy movement of the drag ights through' theframe sections. Theanti-friction blocks'may be symmetrical-in height and length and maybesecured to the dragflight by welding, asshoWn.. C t

It is evidentrfromthe foregoingL descriptionY of the invention that theoperative relation` of the conveyor and support Where the frame sectionsare yieldingly supported by a eXible draw bar, asdescribed and claimedin my co-pending application, SerialNo.- 451,133, provides` asubstantially frictionless coal conveying means bythe use of a lightweight eXible Wire rope with center guide rolls arranged in tandem toprevent angling of-,the drive ights due to tension on the rope.. It isalsoV evident that traction of a Wire rope is obtainable by means of theinvention, by regulated pressure vContact of the drive lugs -on the druminstead of solely by tension on the rope.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been hereinillustrated and described, it Will be evident to those skilled in theart thatgvarious modilications may 'be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the principles herein set forth. Y

I claim: 1. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising an endlessliexible Wire rope, a drum Vfor driving said rope having a surface ofimpressionable. material, material moving means having threaded sleevesconnected to saidV wire rope for grippingly engaging the impressionablematerial of said drum, saidV material moving means hav,-` inganti-friction guide means, and vertical and horizontal guide bars forengaging said guide means, said guide bars extending from a tangentaround the curve .of said drum.V

2. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising an endless liexibleWire rope, a drum for driving said rope*Y having a surface ofimpressionable material, material moving means provided with anglebrackets having an ,externally threaded sleeve connected to saidvvireVKrope the threaded surface grippingly engaging the impressionablematerial of said drum, said angle brackets having guide rollers arrangedin tandem and VVguidebars for engaging said rollers, said guide barsextending from a tangent around the Acurve of said drivedrum. 3. In amobile conveyor, conveying means comprising `an endless flexible wirerope, a drum for, driving said rope having a surface of impressionablematerial, Ymaterial moving means provided with angle brackets having ,anexternally threaded sleeve connected toY said wire rope, the threadedsurface grippingly engaging the impressionable material of said drum,said angle brackets having" guide rollers arranged in tandem andguidebars forA en gaging said rollers, said guide bars extending Vfromatari-Y gent around the curve of said drive drum, and said -materialmoving means having additionalV guide rollers andV guide bars for saidrollers, said guide bars extending in 4 a horizontal plane tangent tothe curvature of the drum and around the curve of said drum. i

4. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising an endless exbleWire rope, a drum for'driving said rope having a surface ofimpressionable material, material moving means provided with anglebrackets havingl an externally threaded sleeve connected to said wirerope, the threaded surface grippingly-engaging the impressionablematerial of said drum, said angle brackets having guide rollers withtheir axes vertically disposed and said material moving means havingadditional guide rollers with their axes in a horizontal plane andvertical and horizontal guide bars for said guide rolls, said barsextending in aV horizontal plane tangent to the drive drum and aroundthe curvature of said drum.

5. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising an endless flexibleWire rope, a drum for driving said rope having a surface ofimpressionablek 1I1aterial,.mate rial moving means havingvgripping,means with serrated surfaces for engagingthe'impressionablemateral of `said drum and having anti-frictionguidemeans'and guideibars for controlling the verticaland transverse movement`of the conveying means with guide bars Vextending around the curvatureof the drivedrum. f

6. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising anendless flexiblewire rope, adrum for driving said rope having a surface ofimpressionableV material, material moving means comprising drag flightshaving externallythreaded sleeves connectedY toy said wire rope forgrippingly engaging the impressionable material of said drum and saiddrag ights having anti-friction rollers and guide bars for controllingthe vertical and lateral travel of said rollers throughout the length oftravel of the conveying means and around the drive drum.

7. In a mobile conveyor, conveying means comprising an endless liexiblewire rope, adrum for driving .said rope having a surface ofimpressionable material, material moving means comprising pans havingexternally threaded sleeves connected to said wire rope -for grippinglyengaging the impressionable material of said drum and said pans havinganti-frictionY rollers and guide barsY for controlling the vertical andlateral travel of said rollers throughout the length of travel of theconveying means and aroundthe drive drum. Y

References Cited in the of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS f .Y

Great Britain Nov. 3, 1948

